Digital Government

How RIM's fortune could affect your BlackBerry

The maker of the popular BlackBerry is on the financial ropes. What does it mean for feds?

Modernization

Can science and technology defeat Colombian drug cartels?

U.S. Southern Command is looking to DOD's science and technology communities to help in counter-narcotics operations in the jungles of South America.

Digital Government

Senate defense bill takes first steps to undo sequestration

Congress is demanding Defense Secretary Leon Panetta furnish a comprehensive report on the potential effects of sequestration, which could take effect Jan. 2, 2013.

Acquisition

Senate committee encourages reverse auctions

The committee says reverse auctions stimulate “aggressive competition” among vendors and lead to lower prices.

Digital Government

Can today's virtual soldier protect tomorrow's troops?

A University of Iowa program is using virtual reality to help arm the troops of tomorrow.

People

DOD business modernization efforts continue to fall short

The Defense department is still struggling to implement GAO recommendations in its efforts to update its business systems.

Digital Government

DOD needs new tech for Asia, Panetta says

As the U.S. military shifts its focus to the Asia-Pacific region, it will need to develop new technologies, its leader says.

People

Can strategy help DOD sidestep budget cut effects?

As defense officials try to figure out where to trim costs, the White House offers some advice: Avoid a last-in, first-out approach.

Digital Government

DOD, Navy developing pirate-fighting apps

A new DOD-funded research project is targeting sea piracy with web-based apps.

Modernization

Army to pay $500M for Future Combat Systems termination

A dozen years after Future Combat Systems was born and three years after it was canceled, the program still bears a hefty price tag.

Cybersecurity

Military told to be cautious on commercial social media sites

Reported new policy comes after a recent hack showed the potential vulnerabilities in sites with user-generated content.

People

Senate version of defense bill tackles cyber workforce, procurement

The Senate's defense bill is $3 billion more than the president's request and doesn't account for the budget cuts of sequestration.

Digital Government

VA DOD joint record to be deployed from 2014 to 2017

Even after the Veterans Affairs-Defense new joint integrated health record system begins rolling out in 2014, many functionalities will still need to be migrated to the new system, according to a senior VA official.

Modernization

170,000 military dating-site users exposed, hackers say

An affiliate of the LulzSec hacker group is claiming it obtained and published personally-identifiable information for 170,000 military personnel.

Digital Government

Army hosts MOSES open-source virtual world

The focus of many federal virtual world activities has moved to the U.S. Army's "MOSES" experimental open source environment

Acquisition

House passes defense authorization bill

The bill still must get past Obama's veto pen.

Digital Government

VA and DOD pick common medical vocabulary for electronic records

THe Veterans Affairs and Defense departments are adopting a common vocabulary and structured data system for medical terms for their upcoming joint digital record system.

Acquisition

Obama could veto defense authorization

The National Defense Authorization Act contains a number of troubling provisions, including an increased top-line budget, constraints on defense strategies, and a limited ability to cut resources where officials see fit, according to the administration.

People

DOD's proposed acquisition rule changes faltering in Congress

Congress rejected DOD's proposed changes to FAR language, but changes to commercial of-a-type acquisition aren't completely off the table yet.

People

With NGEN, Navy prepares for move to the future

The Navy's long-awaited NGEN solicitation has been released, marking an official step forward for the service.